Autumn

          

I love autumn.  I think the entire rest of the year is worth living through just to get to autumn.  The colors in North Carolina this year are absolutely gorgeous.  They seemed to be late in coming.  We weren’t even sure if the leaves were going to turn at all this year.  But when they went, they went with flair!

My favorite is a bright red in the leaves with just a hint of orange.  I love to see this set against a daytime stormy gray sky.  I prefer to have the sun shining on the tree from one direction, and the clouds coming from the other.  It’s an image that is beauty incarnate to me. 

Sugar Maples are absolutely astonishing this year.  They look as if they have a light coming from within.  If you see them just when evening begins you almost believe that they will light up the night with their light. 

I have seen trees this year with leaves changing in a wave starting on the northern side of the tree and going towards the south.  The northern side of the tree has red leaves, changing to orange, yellowish orange, yellow, and to the southernmost side of the the tree, the leaves were still green!  I’ve never seen that before in my life!

The soft misty morning light on them is softly beautiful and makes you want to get up in the morning just to look at them.  The light changes them all day long.  They are stunning in the strong afternoon sun.  And as the afternoon sun relaxes into the evening sky, the colors relax along with it and they are soothing. 

Every day brings new colors to see, new light to see them in, new feelings to feel from them.  Soon will come the smell of those same leaves burning.  That is the quintessential smell of autumn to me.  (If I can keep from associating it with the fire, that is)  I have loved that smell all of my life.  It speaks to me of cool evenings, and beautiful sunsets, and changing times. 

Winter is not far off when you are surrounded by autumn’s beauty.  It’s time to get ready for it.  There are things to do and autumn is kind enough to give you wonderful weather to do them in, as well as the most gorgeous surroundings possible in which to do them.

I love autumn.